Thousands of Nashville-area students capped off years of hard work when they received their degrees from three local colleges on Saturday.

Belmont University held separate morning and afternoon ceremonies at the Curb Event Center, helping kick off a week of college graduations.

Lipscomb and Trevecca Nazarene universities also held their commencement ceremonies Saturday.

At Belmont’s afternoon ceremony, the atmosphere mirrored that of the basketball games held there as family and friends waved to the graduates they knew and gave them standing ovations as they crossed the stage.

As in previous years, Belmont President Bob Fisher’s keynote address was composed of lyrics from musical groups, from Fleetwood Mac and Pharrell Williams to alums Florida Georgia Line.